Five Cases of Fatal Overdose from Caffeine-containing "look-alike" Drugs

Overview

Journal J Anal Toxicol

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Toxicology

Date 1985 May 1

PMID 4010239

Citations 13

Authors

J C Garriott

L M Simmons

A Poklis

M A Mackell

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Five cases of death from ingestion of "look-alike" dose forms are reported. "Look-alikes" are widely used non-prescription drugs sold as appetite suppressants or stimulants. Three of the cases had taken caffeine/ephedrine combinations, and two had taken caffeine only. All had lethal concentrations of caffeine detected in the blood (130 to 344 mg/L), and three had high ephedrine concentrations from 3.5 to 20.5 mg/L. Caffeine and ephedrine were measured in body fluids and tissues (when available) by SIM gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) after extraction with diethyl ether.

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